This application makes reference to, incorporates the same herein, and claims all benefits accruing under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7119 arising from an application entitled, METHOD OFR INTERFACING RATE ADAPTATION PROCESSING UNIT AND BOARD MESSENGER PROCESSING UNIT IN A WIRELESS DATA COMMUNICATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, earlier filed in the Korean Industrial Property Office on Sep. 4, 1998, and there duly assigned Serial No. 1998-36455.
The present invention relates to a method for interfacing a rate adaptation-processing unit (RAPU) and a board messenger-processing unit (BMPU) in a wireless data communication apparatus, and more particularly, it relates to a method for reducing the load on the CPU to be processed and for minimizing inefficient memory usage by the communication protocols.
FIG. 1 depicts a method used in the prior art for interfacing a rate adaptation processing unit (RAPU) (10) and a board messenger processing unit (BMPU) (20). The respective RAPU (10) and BMPU (20) represents two different packet data units (PDUs) of two different systems, such as found in IWF system having a wireless subscriber unit and a wired subscriber unit. When the data is transferred between these two different systems, the process of data transfer is made in accordance with FIG. 1.
As shown in FIG. 1, a rate adaptation receiving unit (RARU) (11) of a RAPU (10) processes the data received via a rate adaptation (RA) interface (RAI) using the RA protocol (RAP) disposed therein. In order to transmit the processed data according to the RA protocol to the board messenger transmitting unit (BMTU) (21) of the BMPU (20), the whole processed data, including the common header and the data information, is duplicated in another buffer and transmitted to the board messenger transmitting unit (BMTU) (21) of the BMPU (20).
Similarly, when the data is processed by BM protocol and transmitted to a rate adaptation transmitting unit (RATU) (12) of the RAPU (10), the whole processed data is duplicated in another buffer and transmitted when the data transfer is made from the board messenger receiving unit (BMRU) (22) of the BMPU (20).
In prior art, after the transformation by the respective protocol in two different systems, the whole data are duplicated in another buffer during the data interfacing of the RAPU (10) and the BMPU (20) therebetween. As a result, the load on CPU is increased due to repetitive duplication of the whole transferring data in another buffer when the data is exchanged between two different processing units of two different systems. Thus, the memory is used inefficiently due to such repetitive duplication of the data into another buffer.
One of the objects in according to the present invention is to provide a method for interfacing a rate adaptation-processing unit (RAPU) and a board messenger-processing unit (BMPU) therebetween in a wireless data communication processing units.
Another object of the present invention is to reduce the size of data duplication required when RAPU interfaces BMPU or when BMPU interfaces RAPU, by forming a common header offset, which can be used commonly by either a rate adaptation protocol and a board messenger protocol when the interfacing is performed between the RAPU and the BMPU.
A first preferred embodiment of a method for interfacing a rate adaptation processing unit (RAPU) and a board messenger processing unit (BMPU) in a wireless data communication processing apparatus, the method includes the steps of:
in response to a group of protocol data (PD) transferred from one communication system to another communication system, forming a common header field having a rate adaptation (RA) header and a board message (BM) header and a data field in a predetermined area of a data buffer, wherein the common header field is commonly shared by a rate adaptation (RA) protocol and a board message (BM) protocol;
setting a protocol offset for the RA header and the BM header in a predetermined area of the common header field to designate the start of the RA header and the BM header, and setting the first address of each the RA header and the BM header by a message pointer, respectively, to indicate the beginning point for receiving the group of the protocol data in the data buffer;
processing the common header field by either the rate adaptation processing unit or the board message processing unit for transmission, depending on flow direction of the group of the protocol data between the one communication system and the another communication system; and,
transmitting the processed common header field and the data field via a queue interface disposed between the rate adaptation processing (RAPU) and the board messenger processing unit (BMPU), and thereafter locating the message pointer at the first address of the common header for receiving next set of the protocol data in the data buffer.
A second preferred embodiment of a method for interfacing a rate adaptation processing unit (RAPU) and a board messenger processing unit (BMPU) in a wireless data communication processing apparatus according to the present invention, the method includes the steps of:
receiving a group of protocol data (PD) in a rate adaptation-receiving unit (RARU) of the rate adaptation processing unit (RAPU) via a rate adaptation interface (RAI);
allocating a data buffer according to the received protocol data;
forming a common header field having a rate adaptation (RA) header and a board message (BM) header and a data field in a predetermined area of the data buffer, wherein the common header field is commonly shared by a rate adaptation (RA) protocol and a board message (BM) protocol;
setting a protocol offset for the RA header and the BM header in a predetermined area of the common header field to designate the start of the RA header and the BM header, and setting the first address of each the RA header and the BM header by a message pointer, respectively, to indicate the beginning point for receiving the group of the protocol data in the data buffer;
processing only the RA header starting from the first address of the RA header indicated by the RA pointer by the rate adaptation processing unit (RAPU) for transmission;
transmitting the processed RA header of the common header field and the data field via a queue interface disposed between the rate adaptation processing (RAPU) and the board messenger processing unit (BMPU);
processing only the BM header starting from the first address of the BM header indicated by the BM pointer by the board messenger processing unit (BMPU) for transmission;
transmitting the processed BM header of the common header field and the data field via a board messenger interface; and,
locating the BM pointer at the first address of the common header for receiving a next set of protocol data from the rate adaptation processing unit (RAPU) via the queue interface.
A third preferred embodiment of a method for interfacing a rate adaptation processing unit (RAPU) and a board messenger processing unit (BMPU) in a wireless data communication processing apparatus according to the present invention, the method includes the steps of:
receiving a group of protocol data (PD) in a board messenger receiving unit (BMRU) of the board messenger processing unit (BMPU) via a board messenger interface (BMI);
allocating a data buffer according to the received protocol data;
forming a common header field having a rate adaptation (RA) header and a board message (BM) header and a data field in a predetermined area of the data buffer, wherein the common header field is commonly shared by a rate adaptation (RA) protocol and a board message (BM) protocol;
setting a protocol offset for the RA header and the BM header in a predetermined area of the common header field to designate the start of the RA header and the BM header, and setting the first address of each the RA header and the BM header by a message pointer, respectively, to indicate the beginning point for receiving the group of the protocol data in the data buffer;
processing only the BM header starting from the first address of the BM header indicated by the BM pointer by the board messenger processing unit (BMPU) for transmission;
transmitting the processed BM header of the common header field and the data field via a queue interface disposed between the rate adaptation processing (RAPU) and the board messenger processing unit (BMPU);
processing only the RA header starting from the first address of RA header indicated by the RA pointer by the rate adaptation processing unit (RAPU);
transmitting the RA header of the common header field and the data field via a rate adaptation interface; and,
locating the RA pointer at the first address of the common header for receiving a next set of protocol data from the board messenger processing unit.